NATO fighter jets have taken off 290 times this year to intercept Russian military aircraft flying close to a member state’s airspace. According to the military alliance, this happened mainly in the vicinity of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.
Russian aircraft are regularly intercepted in areas for which NATO is responsible. The Russians are allowed to fly there, provided they meet all the agreements.
According to NATO, Russian aircraft have generally been escorted out of NATO airspace without any problems. NATO aircraft also flew about 80 times this year to monitor or escort non-military aircraft that were not making radio contact with air traffic control.
tensions
Tensions between Russia and NATO countries, including the United States, have recently increased due to the presence of many Russian troops on the border with Ukraine. In recent years, Russia has looked with regret at how many former Eastern Bloc countries have joined NATO.
In a speech, Russian President Putin accused last week still the West of non-compliance with agreements. “In the 1990s, we were promised not to expand an inch eastwards. And what happened? We have been cheated. Simply cheated. NATO has expanded five times and now we see arms being made in Romania and Poland. placed,” Putin said.
Scramble
Spread across Europe, more than sixty fighter jets are ready to take action day and night. The Netherlands and Belgium have been monitoring the airspace of Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg alternately for a few years now. Two armed combat aircraft are standing by 24 hours a day and are in the air within minutes. Last month the Belgian F-16s were still in action. She intercepted two Russian Tupolev bombers over the North Sea.
This film made by NATO shows how a air interception works:
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